To mark Banned Books Week 2025, the IFLA Management of Library Associations Section (MLAS) collaborated with the Library Theory and Research Section (LTR) and the IFLA Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression Advisory Committee (FAIFE) to present the global webinar “Libraries Preserving Access in Times of Crises.”

Held on Wednesday, 8 October 2025 at 7:30 a.m. EDT (New York City), the event brought together speakers from around the world to examine the growing threats to access to information—ranging from intentional censorship to the destruction of knowledge during conflict and crisis.

The session highlighted powerful, on-the-ground library initiatives that are protecting books, safeguarding cultural memory, and defending the right to read in some of the world’s most challenging contexts. Presentations spotlighted efforts in the United States, Lebanon, and Indigenous communities, demonstrating how libraries continue to uphold intellectual freedom and resilience.

Because censorship is so 1984—and the freedom to read matters now more than ever.

Speakers

  • Te Paea Paringatai, IFLA President-Elect (New Zealand)
    Preservation and access for Indigenous populations
  • Martin Garnar, PhD, Director, Amherst College Library (Massachusetts, USA); Editor, Intellectual Freedom Manual, 10th Edition
    Current trends and emerging issues in access to information
  • Essine El Gemayel Jawhar, Assistant University Librarian for the Conservation and Preservation Division; Head, Conservation and Restoration Center, USEK; Representative of the Lebanese Library Association (LLA)
    Digital preservation of cultural heritage in Lebanon, and previous collaborative work between LLA, IFLA MLAS, IFLA MENA RD, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

With opening and closing remarks by the Chairs:

  • Loida Garcia-Febo, Chair IFLA MLAS
  • Dr. Jonathan Hernandez, Chair IFLA FAIFE
  • Dr. Yasuyo Inoue, Chair IFLA LTR

 

Recording Now Available

The full webinar recording is now available for viewing. We invite library professionals, advocates, and community members to revisit this inspiring session and continue the conversation on how libraries can—and do—preserve access to information in times of crisis.

Link to recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UKKmgtewPo